Mom offers puppy advice: feed him, clean up after him, hold him and be patient

The new dog park in Warner Robins is having its grand opening this week and it comes at a perfect time for our family.

Our son Scotty is coming home this weekend and bringing his dog.

Scotty is not living on campus this year, and when he talked to us about renting a house in Rome, the first words out of my mouth were, “Don’t get a dog.”

There hasn’t been a dog around our house for about 15 years. We had two — Brandy and Barney — when the boys were little. Brandy was the best dog ever, and when old age ravaged her body and we had to make a decision to put her down, it just about did me in. A year later, we found our mutt Barney in his bed. He had gotten older as well, but we have always believed Barney just missed Brandy so much that he died of a broken heart.

From time to time our boys would ask about getting another dog, but Ronnie and I would never agree. Scotty asked about a dog the most, and because I am a mother and can read minds, I knew being off at college and moving into a house with a yard would propel him into getting a dog. Thus my advice not to get one.

My first clue that I had been ignored came when a suspicious charge showed up on my credit-card statement. Over the years I have learned before calling the bank that I should first interrogate my sons. The charge, it turned out, was from a breeder, and while we were saying, “Don’t get a dog,” Scotty had arranged to get one anyway from a lab breeder in Alabama.

“Well, at least the dog is from Alabama,” I told my unamused Georgia-born husband.

We saw Scotty about a week after he had gotten the dog. It was a really cute puppy, but what puppy isn’t cute. Scotty seemed to be a little triumphant and asked me if I still thought the puppy was a bad idea.

“He’s adorable,” I said. “He is a terrible idea, but he is adorable.”

And so, Paul W. Bear Bryant of Alabama entered our family. The first few weeks were rough, as Bear did what puppies do — cry and mess. My phone rang constantly as I dispensed puppy advice from afar, and since I don’t know anything about puppies, I just based my guidance on having had babies: feed him, clean up after him, hold him and be patient.

Even though I thought it was a bad idea for Scotty to get a dog, I do have some pride that I raised a young man who loves animals, was ready to make a 10-year commitment and has taken care of a puppy on his own for three months.

Now 4-months-old, Bear — bigger, but still a puppy — is making his first trip to Warner Robins this weekend. As my husband shakes his head, I have prepared for Bear, dog proofing my house and buying supplies. I guess the city has prepared for Bear too – opening a dog park just in time for his arrival.

The grand opening of the Warner Robins Dog Park located at 110 Olympia Dr will be at 10:30 a.m. August 31. Dogs are invited to the opening ceremony, with the first 25 receiving a prize.

Alline Kent can be contacted at allinekent@cox.net.

This story was originally published August 25, 2017 at 7:54 PM with the headline "Mom offers puppy advice: feed him, clean up after him, hold him and be patient."